SES Students Set For Summer Reading Success

Hundreds of students, parents, teachers and community members supported literacy efforts at Stetson Elementary School May 19. The end of year event focused on celebrating student achievement and providing parents with resources for continued literacy efforts during summer break.

“The support tonight has been amazing,” said Jeff Moulton, principal. “We’re definitely going to do this again.”

Literacy night featured a variety of activities for students to participate in with their families. Families played bingo for books, literacy Wheel of Fortune, and had several hands-on science, technology, engineering and math activities.

Parent Teacher Association members provided food in the school cafeteria and District 49 leaders read aloud to students and their families in multiple classrooms. Students received stamps in their literacy passport as the moved around to the different activities.

According to Moulton, the evening is meant to be a celebration of the hard work students and educators have put in during the school year and provide motivation for the upcoming time away from school.

“So far we've gone to the MyOn thing,” said third-grader Travis Ragland, 9. “It's this app and you get to read books and your able to click on a book and it will read it to you. I follow along with the books and it helps me read better.”

To support literacy efforts, each SES student is provided an account to MyOn, an online personalized literacy environment. The learning platform gives learners access to enhanced digital reading content, daily news articles written for students, and cutting-edge literacy tools according to the MyOn website.

The learning suite provides parents and educators with embedded metrics so activity and growth can be measured over time.

“I do love MyOn as a program for the kids because there are so many books in there,” said Travis’ mom Diana Ragland. “There are so many resources I don't have to go to the library.”

Ragland, who also has kindergarten preschool students SES, says the school’s investment in the program provides motivation for all of her kids to spend more time reading.

“They all just really love reading,” said Ragland. “They love learning. They are little sponges.”

Renee Sills, Travis’ third-grade teacher, says MyOn supports the literacy efforts she brings to her students during the school day.

“It allows hem to continue learning at home,” said Sills. “Anything that will motivate kids to keep learning and keep reading is important.”

“If you don't read it would be hard for you to read road signs and directions,” said Travis. “You need to read books on very important people like Christopher Columbus and other people in history.”